Category: Pukaskwa National Park

Coastal Trail in Pukaskwa National Park, Grouse, Hattie Cove Campground, Pukaskwa NP, Hattie Cove, Pukaskwa National Park, Pukaskwa National Park

The Coastal Trail

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August 28, 2025 

40 deg. at 6:00

On our last day in Pukaskwa, we decided to walk the Coastal Trail an hour out and an hour back. We passed a couple of young men finishing up the entire walk. They were smiling proudly. The entire trail is 65 km. but it is rated difficult. To stay along the coast, it has to go up and down on all kinds of surfaces with roots, rocks, boulders and sand to keep you occupied. 

We just walked the section around Hattie Cove, across the marsh at the top of the cove, then some up and down through the woods. We weren’t too far from the from the start of the loop out to the coast that I’m sure is gorgeous. At the other end of the loop is a swinging bridge over the White River below a waterfall. A couple of young ladies passed us to do this overnight hike with a fishing rod in the backpack. A couple of guys passed with fishing rods too, but they hadn’t caught anything. They thought it had turned too cold. 

The highlight of the walk was seeing three grouse. Obviously accustomed to people, they weren’t too shy. That makes five grouse we have seen here. 

Martha has caught the cold now, and took a power nap after lunch. We are a sight to see, sniffling, coughing and bundled up while our neighbor across the street is in shorts and a t-shirt.

Marathon, Ontario, Pukaskwa National Park

Marathon Laundry

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August 27, 2025

55 deg. at 7:00 am, cloudy

I love sleeping in a pine forest beside the big lake they call Gitchigoomi. I woke at 7 and didn’t want to get up, but peeking through one eye, I could see it was daylight. 

I like this camp at Pukaskwa National Park. . It’s quiet. There is electric, which is unusual for a national park. We have no cellular, but you can get WIFI at the Visitor’s Center, so it makes it a gathering place in a beautiful setting with Hattie Cove right behind it. 80% of the people have at least one boat on their truck or car. 

If you really want to see this park, it is by backpacking or by expedition canoe or kayak and camping on an island or along the coast, looking up at the stars from your down sleeping bag. 

The facilities are excellent – great, heated bathrooms, good showers, a laundry or one washer and one dryer. There’s a camaraderie feeling. We are all here to enjoy the incredible scenery in our own way. 

Some are here just for the great beaches. While we are not yet acclimated, Canadians pull their wagons to the beach for a swim or a day in the sun, even if there is no sun. 

We gathered all our dirty laundry and drove 20 minutes to Marathon. The GPS took us to a nice, blue building. As Martha headed up the steps, a lady said the laundry was next door. They got a good chuckle out of that. 

Next door, we loaded four washers and got change from the lady in charge. Actually it might be her cute, little dog that was in charge. She checked on us regularly. 

I noticed a bike outside leaning against the wall. It had two serious bags on the back, one carrying a guitar case. Inside I asked a rather unkept, but pretty girl if it was hers. She is traveling across Canada, playing on corners or an occasional gig to pay her way. She writes and sings her own music. 

We had lunch in the building Martha first walked into, thinking it was the laundry, then went to the grocery store. In front sat the girl I met in the laundry, playing her guitar. She was quite good. I smiled and told her so and put a 20 in her open guitar case. As I walked past, she quickly got up and removed the 20. 

Oar House

Back at camp we put the laundry away and made the beds. Then I took a good 1-hour nap. After dinner we watched an episode of Jack Ryan Martha had downloaded.

Bimose Kinoomagewnan, Pukaskwa National Park, Lake Superior, Ontario, Pukaskwa National Park

Hike Bimose Kinoomagewnan

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August 25, 2025 

After a rainy day yesterday, Monday was beautiful, sunny day. I was groggy, but felt like I was on the mend. The cold is still in my chest, so my breathing isn’t so good, so we opted for a 2-hour hike around Halfway Lake, known as Bimose Kinoomagewnan. 

It is a beautiful hike with lots of ups and downs, and along granite ridge-lines overlooking the lake. Someone went to great effort building steps with handrails, little bridges over creeks and across gaps between the rocks. Sometimes we couldn’t pick up the trail until we saw a wooden walk. We remarked that it could have been marked better, but looking back, it made it more interesting. 

Signs along the way told us many of the beliefs of the Biigtigong and Netmizaaggamig people who have lived here for centuries, and play a big role in the park. I was taking a picture when I heard Martha scream. I hurried to the edge of the woods where she stood with her hands over her mouth. She said two birds flew out of a tree, making lots of noise. Grouse. It’s part of their defense mechanism. Now she has seen a bobcat and two grouse, although the view of the grouse was brief before they were gone. 

We liked this hike around a pretty lake surrounded by unique walls of granite. The trail is well-maintained, and all the wooden steps and bridges adding to the allure. 

After lunch, I had another nap while Martha went to the Visitor’s Center to get emails and messages. With a slight burst of energy, I showered and built a fire, sitting in the sun and staring into the flames. The high was about 66 degrees and breezy. Young families and groups made a steady trip to the beaches. there are actually four coves with sandy beaches. Dressed in bathing suits, they pulled their wagons with their beach gear, laughing and chatting along the way. And there I was sitting by a roaring fire, dressed in blue jeans, sweatshirt and a hat. 

Martha made a foil wrap with ham, potatoes and vegetables and cooked it over the fire. 

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